Sean Ashby: And I wanted to liberate the sexuality of the male to make him look like a man and not like a Ken doll out of Barbie. I don't retail in Australia. It's me giving the finger to all of the people that said no to me. We're literally selling little movie mini movie trailers and once the endorphins kick in, that's when the sale kicks in.
[Voiceover]: Welcome to Add to Cart, Australia's leading e commerce podcast that express delivers all you need know in the fast moving world of online retail. Every week Joanne Huey Miller catches up with Australian e commerce leaders to get all the insights, tips and lessons to keep you at the top of the e commerce game and of course, keep your customers adding to Cart. Here's your host, Joanne Huey Miller. Hey guys, it's Jo here. Thank you so much for having me in your ears today. As you know, I am a guest host on Add to Cart with Bushy and for my day job I work with the legends at Retail Strategy Agency, the General Store. Prior to that I was managing editor at industry title Inside Retail. Now I'm super excited to share with you guys today my guest who comes from an iconic Aussie brand. Now you might know Aussie Bum for its fun, vibrant men's swimwear and underwear or for its unashamedly sexy campaigns featuring muscular blokes splashed across billboards and bus stops. The brand is now sold in 183 countries around the world, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Taiwan and South Korea. My guest today is Aussie Bum founder Sean Ashby. He shares with us his incredible journey from beach bum to international mega brand. He discusses how he stays close with his customers, why he never took no for an answer, and how he came up with one of his biggest selling products, the Wonder Jock. Basically, if you're wondering, it's just the male version of the Wonder Bra. But more on that later. If you want to get your hands on a pair of Aussie Bum undiesel swimmers, we have a discount code to share. So listen out for that later. Thanks to our partners Shopify plus and Paclio. Here's our conversation with Sean Ashby, founder and Managing director of Aussie Bum. So Sean, Aussie Bum has been around for more than 20 years now, synonymous with amazing Aussie underwear. But I really want to hear from you the story behind the brand and how it all started.
Sean Ashby: It started, I guess, like anything does. And that is as a hobby. Many years ago I worked in a multinational company, had built my way to the top. Marketing director of a major company and I found that 80% of my time was dealing with politics, internal politics. 20% was doing what I loved, which is turning nothing into something and being passionate about what it is that I create. So I decided at a very young age to take a sea change and decided I'll become a personal trainer and I will study herbal medicine. So I spent the next three, four years studying herbal medicine, became a herbalist, had the body, did the training, and then once I started taking on clients, I realized I was neither of those. I was a psychotherapist, a psychologist, and that was not something that I would say I am the perfect person for, because I'm more of an empath. So I'm like, oh, and the problem also is every week I was expected to remember everything they told me the week before. And I'm a little bit simple in that regard. So before that I'd studied at the Canberra School of Art in art history and studied graphic design and photography and really everything to do with the creation of fine arts. So I had a finger in every piece with regards to creativeness. But my passion equally was marketing, hence why I ended up in the multi echelon of multinational company marketing. Then once I decided I could not be a herbalist or a trainer, I used to only train people in the morning and then in the afternoon I would spend it at North Bondi beach, on the beach in my swimmers. And I thought I was in heaven. I was renting at that time. And one year or every year, I used to go to Gowing's to buy my swimwear. And my swimwear was a unique style of swimwear. It was a Tricot nylon, which surf lifesavers used to wear, surf rowers used to wear. And I went to Gowing's and they said, oh, we no longer sell this product. Speedo's factory has burned down all the fabric in Melbourne, so you can no longer buy this because this particular style of garment you can only buy in Australia. But here's an alternative. Here is some Lycra swimwear. And if ever a male is worn Lycra swimwear, they will see they all of a sudden become the Ken doll from Barbie, where you cannot quite tell if it's a male or a female and a little bit too flat for the masculinity of the man of that day. So sitting on the beach and this is back in 2000 and watching the netball or, sorry, the volleyball being created on Bondi beach for the Olympics and sitting there without a job with very little money, I'd saved 20,000 for my home loan when I was employed, and that was dwindling fast. And I thought to myself, I've got a choice. I can either get back into work. And I tried and applied and I failed repeatedly, because I'd been outside of work for so long and looking down at my Lycra swimwear, feeling not like a man, I thought, how hard could it be for me to create what it is that I love the most? And I'm sure many other Australians would love as well. So that's how I went about finding the fabric and finding a pattern maker to be able to design the perfect Aussie cossie, which eventually became Aussie Bum. And the reason for the name Aussie Bum was because I was an Australian and I was a beach bum. So Aussie Bum. And then from that, I sold my product to all my mates, who very kindly purchased my product. And that allowed me to buy my double chicken fillet rice, boiled it. I lived a very simple life and was very, very happy. So I don't come from money, so losing money really meant nothing to me. And then I thought, let me try my hand at retail, because, you know, that's what I used to do. And so I went door knocking retailer to retailer, and each one said, no, no, no, who would wear this? You know, there's this new sensation, men's Lycra swimwear. And Lycra swimwear is like a diver in the Olympics, where they're very flat and very tight and very constricting. And that simply wasn't me. So I then kept selling to my mates and kept getting rejections. And to give you an example of a couple of good rejections was I foolishly hired a car and drove down the great ocean road to Torquay and went into this store. And the owner of the store saw what I was going to sell and he said, let me get all my staff together. They'd love to hear the presentation. So I'm excited. I'm like, oh, and there's this. And have a look at this. And there's these colors. And I started to realize they were all laughing at me. And the laughter grew into even horrendous laughter because I was actually selling in a board short store. And in a board short store, they don't sell my swimwear. So back to Sydney. And I didn't even get an interview with Myers. They already wrote me off. Pretty much everyone had wrote me off. And this one department store, David Jones, at the meeting said, oh, yes, this is Fantastic. And oh yes, we'll take this. Look, just get back in touch with us. And so a week went by, no reply. And so I started calling and every time I called this person was unavailable and I'm like, oh, it must be very busy. Okay, I'll keep trying, keep trying. Eventually I pretended to be or gave the name of the person that I wasn't. And all of a sudden this person answered and I said, oh, hi, my name's Sean from Aussie Bum and you know, we spoke some time ago and you're really keen about my product. And he took a long pause and he said, look, didn't you get the answer? The answer is no. He goes, who would buy something like this? And you coming in here thinking that an Australian would buy a product like this, wasting my time, hangs up the phone. Yeah, but it was the best thing that ever happened in my life because the moment I put the phone down, I grew this huge chip on my shoulder and it was, well, I'm going to prove you differently. I am going to make this work. And I was down to probably my last $5,000. I had bags of my swimwear which I was thankful. I found the remnant fabric that wasn't burnt down from that particular company. I brought that fabric. I found an incredible pattern maker who used to make women's swimwear and she was passionate about getting it the way I wanted it. I got all my mates together and I photographed them the way that I felt a male should be photographed. And I wanted to liberate the sexuality of the male to make him look like a man and, and not like a Ken doll out of Barbies.
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Sean Ashby: then I built a website. I bootlegged software to build my website and ironically in 2000 2001. That's when the dot bombard hit. So everyone was getting out and I naively was building a website to get in. And then what I did was I took my samples because I had a lot of them, because I hadn't sold many to that stage, because all my friends had brought them. And I sent them to all the major newspapers around the world. I told them my story about how this is something truly Australian and I'm very proud of it. And all of a sudden one morning I go to the kitchen to check the computer that it always said, no sale, no sale. And all of a sudden there was one sale and one sale was from the uk. And let me tell you, it took half a day to be able to fill that order. I'd never shipped anything internationally, so I had to learn about shipping goods internationally. And this was all sequential on the run. One order led to two orders, led to three orders, led to four orders. And that's what motivated me to just keep shooting and keep talking about what I liked and about what I think Australian men liked. And it was so different and so unique. It captured the attention of those that were online at that time, which were the trendsetters. And a large proportion were from the gay community and they embraced it like no tomorrow. And they shared it around and look how good I look. You know, look how liberated I am. I. I don't have to wear shorts. I can wear this. And then I was very thankful that at the same time, the Gay Games were being held in 2000. So everyone that came, they went to my stall and they all just ran to buy it. And so that gave me enough funding to be able to grow my business.
[Voiceover]: Now, that is an incredible journey, but I think we both know that Aussie bun really skyrocketed when someone called Kylie Minogue took notice of your undies and featured them in her video clip. Tell me about that. How did that happen?
Sean Ashby: It was actually quite surreal because by that stage, the brand had started momentum. And so, that being said, I had Selfridges in London. William Baker, who was the head of menswear, had brought the swimwear. And then one morning at like 3am, I get a phone call and this guy, he says, hi, my name's William Baker. I really like. We love. We love your swimwear. It's so unique, so Australian, Send me everything. And at that time, if a customer orders something, and I used to send orders even before they paid for them, because I was that excited I had an order. And so literally the next morning, I have picked up all of my new designs, put them into a box, sent them off to William Baker without a clue who he was or what he was doing. Because he said, I can't tell you what I'm doing. It's a bit top secret, he said, but just trust me and I'll be back in touch when I'm back in touch. So I've sent off the swimwear and probably three weeks, a month later, I'm sitting at my computer processing orders and I often listen to music on YouTube or on the video. And then all of a sudden, a Colleen Minogue video is out and it's called Slow. And I'm sitting there and the first opening scene was this guy diving off this diving board who was in Madrid or Barcelona or somewhere. And I'm like, fuck, Fuck. And it was, fuck. As he landed into the water, he came up and I was like, fuck, that's my swimwear. That's my swimwear. And then it cuts to Kylie type. And then the camera pans out and there's literally 20 odd guys all around her. Every one of them was wearing my swimwear. So my fucks went into multiple. And it was the most surrealist moment. And there was a moment I'll never forget, because imagine being in Australia and living in Leichardt in a flat, and you're working your ass off and it's 3pm or 4pm our time, so it's just morning. So they've released the video of that morning, I gather. And I ended up not saying anything but just listening to an amazing song, but just being so proud to see my swimwear being worn by these Greek Adonises, these people that were just, you know, just beyond, beyond. And literally within eight hours, I would comfortably say, by the end of the day, all of a sudden, people wanted to know me. Isn't it ironic that it took an Australian to become successful overseas for an Australian locally to recognize just how good we are, just how entrepreneurial we can be? From there, my motivation just continued to grow. So from there, come winter, my customers would say to me, what are you going to make for winter? And because I was only doing swimwear and I thought, oh, underwear. And because of my creative background, I was, for the lack of a better word, pig in mud. I just created, created, created. And I remember one guy telling me, you know, I wouldn't mind looking a little bit bigger down there. And so as a joke, I thought of the Wonder Bra and I thought, why can't we make the Wonder Jock? You know, it does the Equivalent. And so I made this product and then sent out media releases and it literally blew the Internet of TPG in New Zealand by the volume of men that got online just trying to buy a pair. And that today is still one of my biggest sellers. I then had an audience. This audience then became global because everyone shared what I was doing because I was doing it my way, not the way you should do it. And Australia is a very conservative country. And at that time I would have been considered, you know, a freak. What are you doing in here? That type of behavior. And I never saw myself that way. I was just me. And I never hung out with people that were political. So I didn't know that there were politics in the world. Even in fashion, what sexuality you could be if you were straight, gay or indifferent. You just don't talk about that. Otherwise you're sacked, you're gone. So the brand itself meant so much to me because people were making jokes about it. And that's where I came up with this byline. If you doubt yourself, wear something else. Because of the amount of people that would make fun of me and go, oh, who would wear this? And I said, well, look, if you doubt yourself, just wear something else. You know, I'm not shoving it down your friggin throat, for God's sake. You know, just go and get something out.
[Voiceover]: Aussie Bun does really, really well overseas. In fact, it actually sells more overseas than in Australia. Tell me about that. Why do you think that's the case?
Sean Ashby: Yeah, it doesn't. You know, the crazy part is, and this is what I really feel for a lot of local businesses, Australia only has 28 million people. And then when you look at, okay, to be successful online in E commerce, you have to be a niche brand. You can't be a mainstream. Otherwise, go on Amazon and get a taste of what mainstream is like. Australia is a dumping ground from the world for fashion. So to be able to break through the chains, the girt by sea and to head overseas, it does take a lot of hard work. And for us, Australia represents 10, 15%. But it's actually quite significant because when you're talking about North America, uk, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, I'm only talking these are the top countries for me and I could keep going on and on and on. And they all have a share of our business. So they all have, call it 10%, 8%, 12%. So then when you put them all together, that's 100%. So Australia and Australians are really, really proud of the brand, especially when it comes to them going overseas.
[Voiceover]: Well, you've just come back from a mammoth trip overseas. I've seen it all over LinkedIn and your socials. I love it. I love an obnoxious overseas travel post. Or 10. Tell me about that. What were you doing over there and what were some of the cool things that you did?
Sean Ashby: One of the main reasons was because I've got a face. I don't use social media, typically in Facebook or Instagram, because I'm the alter ego of Aussie Bump. I am not Aussie Bump. So we have an official, you know, site and all that. But I did feel what was missing was a sense of human engagement. And with LinkedIn, for example, I, I get really riled up about business. I get really riled up about people that think that they're not good enough or people that are only looking in their own backyard and thinking that's really important. And I'm basically trying to wave the flag and go, guys, I'm over here in Costa Rica and I'm making a shitload buddy. Or I'm in South Korea and guess the fuck what they're wearing. And of this year. So we're now coming to the end of July. I've probably only been in Australia for about four weeks. I've been. Oh man, you should have seen the trip in Europe. It was mind blowing. I found a Banksy book, I went to a Monet Picasso exhibition, I walked a million miles lost. I met incredible people. And I came back so inspired that now I'm madly designing by everything that I've seen and influenced. And like Australia is multicultural. Being overseas allows me to touch and see my product. And one thing that really struck me was when I went to some of the retail stores over there, because you may or may not know, I don't retail in Australia. It's me giving the finger to all of the people that said no to me. And now they ring and go, oh, can we soggy fuck no. Fuck off. Yeah. But I do sell to Mum and Dad stores in Cairns and everywhere. Most people that fail that are Australian when going overseas is they're lazy. They've got no respect for another culture. They don't understand it. They don't know all the loopholes. They don't understand import duties, shipping times. They don't know what's a good rate or a bad rate. What's even worse is when a person has a fantastic idea and then they go and buy bloody third party apps to run their business, you know, 3PL or Shopify to add on. And nothing against Shopify, nothing against any of those, but then they look at the bill at the end of the month and they go, holy crap. You know, I've got server costs, I got third party costs, I've got three PL costs. I've got to sell my product at some ridiculous price. No wonder nobody's buying it here. We invested millions in the back end of our technology, so we actually run everything. We run off powerapps, Power Bi website is php. So when you look at our website, it is nothing like any other website. And we've done that because we can be more emotional when we're selling where we're literally selling little movie, mini movie trailers. And once the endorphins kick in, that's when the sale kicks in. And that's where with new people starting up, they tend to forget that, oh, if I show the product they will buy it. And yes, that's how it should be. It's like, no, you should have customer service 24 7. You should be able to refund without having to wait for the goods to come back. You know, we don't even ask for the goods to come back. They get three strikes with us, right? They can make up one story, two stories, three stories, or they can have a terrible experience. And if you go to the contact page, you will see my name, my email address, it doesn't matter where I am, if someone emails me and tells me I'm not happy or I haven't had a reply, all hell breaks loose. But it keeps us close to our customers.
[Voiceover]: I love that metaphor that you had around. You know how each sale is like a movie trailer?
Sean Ashby: It is, it is because you're selling a dream, you're selling a fantasy, you know, and even if mine is the most common commodity, underwear and swimwear, but a person wants to fill one part of a tribe, they need to connect. Number two, they want knowledge. They want to know where's it made, what's it made of, you know, what's the sustainability of it. I've now got two generations of customers. The older generation. In my day, cotton was king. And it's like, oh, well, have you tried bamboo? And it's like, oh, deal modal. And then the younger generation are, I want to know everything about what I'm wearing because this is what I stand for. And so you have to be responsive to what people are saying. And, and a lot of the time when starting up, people get too close minded and they stop taking risks, they stop being innovative, they're not innovators. They have one good idea and they think, oh, now I'm set up for life. It's like, dude, you're set up for three months. You want to know why? Because someone like me is watching you. And someone like me is going to make sure that I keep my customers happy. So, you know, it's bets off, baby. It's game on. And if you want to play, play hard. And that's where passion comes in, because no one. I have never been able to beat anyone who has passion because I just bow. I literally give them passage. But anyone that wants to play and copy me, then you know what? Game on, bro. Let's get this party started. Oh, did you know that we were in the very first Avengers movie?
[Voiceover]: No, I didn't. Tell me about that.
Sean Ashby: Yes. And it only dawned on me the other day because I was watching Tom Holland, who I adore. He was doing the Spicy Wings challenge, you know, the YouTube spicy wings challenge. And the guy at the end, he said, tell me. I know that, you know, you always pinch something from every movie. What's been your most favorite item? And he said, well, it wasn't given to me. It was given to my brother by Robert Downey Jr. Who played Iron man in the very first Avengers movie. And he said, that is what created Marvel verse. That is what took cinema from one world to another. And I'm sitting there and I'm like, oh, fuck, I was in that. Well, I had a billboard in that. So if you look at my Facebook page, I got that excited because Angela Bishop, a reporter in Australia, she was at the premiere that White sponsored. And also I'm sitting in this movie premiere that was open only to the media, and there up comes my billboard, and it was the surf rowers with Aussie bum. I got so excited that I had to take a photo. Stupid me. Forgot that. No, you don't take photos at premieres because they might think you're trying to record it. So halfway through the movie, when my big billboard's up, I'm getting dragged out of the cinema thinking I'm a spy. And I'm like, I just wanted a photo on. My dad just wanted a photo of my logo. And they were so nice about it. Wow. Since then, we've done other movies as well. And. But they're all. And what it is. A lot of the producers are part of the tribe or the tribe. And so they give me like a, hey, you could do this. What about this? And the fact that we were in the trailer, the official trailer, of the Avengers movie. That was like. I was just like. It was like a Kylie moment. And there were many, many moments just like that. And I'd love to say that, oh, it was all of my brains and buff. No, it wasn't. It was people that just believed in a dream. People that bought into a concept of people don't think you're good enough. Well, I reckon you are. I can do this. And if you can get positive people around you and you give them wisdom, not fucking courage, they've got that. People who are starting up, they need wisdom. They need to know it's okay to be different. They need to know that failure is a reward. They need to know all the tricks and the shortcuts. Because the minute they start telling people about their business, vultures will start circling and they won't realize. They'll think they're the best friends on earth. Oh, they're here to help me. No, they're not, bitch. They just know how much money is in your pocket.
[Voiceover]: Well, as I mentioned before, Aussie Bum is very well known for its very sexy, fun, provocative campaigns. Very beautiful, muscular men. This particular view of very sexy Australian men. So obviously over the years, I'd really like to hear from you, people are talking more about body diversity. Talk about that and how Aussie Bun plays into that.
Sean Ashby: You are so spot on. Look, number one, you are right there is the picture perfect. And what I like is the fact that to stay healthy, to be healthy, that is fantastic. Some people try having diabetes type 2. Like, you know what, it's fucked. It really is. It's because it's not, you know, they're not eating stupid food. They just. Anything that touches their lips, the glucose just goes kaboom. So for some people, it's a way of life. What we do is we go from extra small to triple X large. And. But what we are about, or I'm going to tell you, no one else knows this. We've been working on a 3D AI model and basically a person is able to identify their body shape and then they can put their face onto that body shape. They can choose the product and then they actually get to see what, what they look like and they can then go show me and then they can do a filter to go show me. Guys in social media that are wearing this product, that's this body shape and what I'm doing it for is that they can see that it is everyone, it's everyone. And no one is perfect. Like, I go through my fat phases, my skinny phases, my Muscle phases. Like, we're about to head off to Mykonos. So I've been working hard, girl, and, you know, I gotta pay the price. But if I had diabetes and I had a company like this, the pain and the struggle that one has to go through, to think of how they think they should look is a travesty. I think everyone is beautiful. They just have to find what they connect with and what makes them feel beautiful. Don't feel you've got to wear what that person wears. Wear what you want to wear and what makes you happy, and other people will be happy.
[Voiceover]: So I really want to ask you a little bit about the evolution of brands and the queer community. So, obviously, Aussie Bum has been a big part of the LGBTQIA community since its very start. That community have always been massive supporters of Aussie Bum, and you guys are very much authentic.
Sean Ashby: We did Mr. Gay Spain just recently. We sponsored that, and thousands and thousands and thousands of Spanish people came to watch his show. Now, if you did Mr. Australia, hundreds and hundreds may come, but this. And then you go to Paris, for example, or we're going to Mykonos. We've got this major event in Mykonos. Thousands and thousands. And I never understood pride, to be honest, until this recent trip, I never quite understood, why do you feel you have to wear the flag, the colors? Like, why can't you? I see you as you, you know, and I don't treat you any differently. To you. However, I also look at the diversity and the discrimination of a community. And all they want to do is they just want, we're here, and for other people to see it's okay, and for other people to see that you don't have to look this way, behave that way. And I think the pride colors is something that should never go away. It is something like Christmas. It's where a community can come together, feel comfortable and safe around each other, and be able to give their friends a hug and go, we're okay, because in some countries, let's take Dhaka in Bangladesh, let's take China. You know, let's take different countries where it is still a punishable crime. I remember growing up, and I got a true reality check from the police about what they thought of my community when we went for equality here in Australia and all of the people that were protesting or voting for the right to marriage or equality in that regard, I was really proud that behind the scenes, we weren't. You know, we were doing things to help give those people a voice and support them. But we weren't throwing banners in the air and going, oh, buy this, buy that. And what I love is the fact that people responded in kind to a community that was just wanting to be treated equal, that just wanted the same rights as anyone else. Today a person can get married, do they automatically. No. Like, you know, it's not. All they wanted was just respect and to be treated the same. And I think with pride, it is a kindly reminder and it should be that way. No difference to Remembrance Day, no difference to Invasion Day, no different to Australian. You know, all of these different things is what makes a culture strong and rich. And we are very much a part of that culture.
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[Voiceover]: I really felt like this year during Pride, there were rainbows everywhere.
Sean Ashby: Yeah, well, it's interesting as well because it has become commercialized. And where I do find it fall short is that those that call have the license for pride. They go for the extortion. You know, give me a million dollars and I'll give you the right to put a Pride T shirt on. Whereas in Amsterdam, for example, and that is a huge pride community, they were like, could you give us T shirts for all the sponsors? They would love it. Could you gift them, you know, for the work that they've done, you know, could you do this? And we could do things that were in our realms. But what I saw was big end, big bucks being thrown at a community they couldn't give a rat's ass about. They just wanted to have a triangle to say, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, no, we're here. So you're not here, dude, you're here for the freaking poster. Why don't you be here 247 and really show some respect? And what I find today, especially in Europe, is you see pride everywhere a lot of the time, whereas in Australia, you see pride here some of the time. And it's like when it's convenient when it's relevant. And to me, I'd like to think that's going to be the next evolution, is that people will go, pride is for everyone. And if you want to put it on your shop front, put it on your shop front. And don't expect a phone call from some licensee saying, now show us the money, bitch. You know, that's ours, we own that. You don't own it. You know, you've got an organization that have cultivated it so everyone has access to it. But don't for one moment go to some bank and say, give us a million dollars. And you've got somebody in our own community that may own a shop or may just have, you know, a very small business and then go to them, oh, if you want to do something, give us a million dollars. It's like, dude, dude, what the hell are you doing here? And that is the part which I still find frustrating. And yet that is political. But that's why Mardi Gras hates me, because I will not succumb to the fucking bureaucracy of a bunch of people thinking they want to screw someone when really they just want money. And you know why they don't make money is because they don't have people like me that want to support a cause that actually means something other than money and money go elsewhere.
[Voiceover]: I really feel too like it's one thing to put your rainbow product out during pride. It's another thing to actually support the community when it's during times of need. I think, as you know, especially in this particular climate, you know, especially overseas, a lot of the communities rights are being taken away. Where are the voices? Where's the support then?
Sean Ashby: Right, well, let me tell you, I'm off to the Middle East. Hahahaha. And India. We've just launched in India. It took six months to have a direct shipping lane from Australia to. That's pretty fucked up when you think about it, when you look at the size of India. Now we're going over there, respectfully, we're going over there to integrate with the community. But if somebody over there said to me, and who's your main customer? I'll proudly go, it's my gay man, bro. It's my gay man. It could be your mother, it could be your father, your sister. And it's only because change needs to occur and change should come from people that are in a position that to talk loud and to let other people know that they're not alone. So for me, it really is a big deal to make it work. And here's the really exciting part. India is now in my top 10. Get out, get out of town, nothing. It is. And that's because they just wanted to wear something that they could look at another person and go, oh, bro, bro. Imagine. Could you imagine what it's like walking the streets feeling alone? And Aussie bum was a calling card in the early days. Aussie bum at the pool was a calling card. And they were the most stolen items in change rooms because some guys, they couldn't buy them, so they stole them.
[Voiceover]: When you say a calling card, so you mean like a secret or not so secret signal?
Sean Ashby: Well, you've got to think of it like evolution. Like, today, you've got so many guys, mainstream guys, that wear it because they just. They look good, they feel good, and who gives a fuck which way you bat? You know, who cares? You know, you're not trying to be, you know, you're not throwing it in our face. You've got a style that people can relate to. You go 10 years earlier and you could not. You could not wear a pink top, so to speak, with a triangle. You would be harassed. And so instead of that, a lot of people that fell in love with Aussie bum in the early days, they were the Kali tribe. They were the ones that were, like, loud and proud. And so then when they saw another guy wearing Aussie bum, they went, aha. And it gave them some currency to go, look what I'm wearing. And then conversation struck up. But you can't do that today, you know, so you can't do it in the way that we used to do it, to get around things that, let's say, were far more dangerous politically. I even had Bob Carr, the premier of New South Wales, wearing our swimwear. So, you know, that's a liberal person in every sense of the word. And that really made me proud, because a lot of people, you know, there's something. Oh, that's that gay brand. It's like. And big deal. What's your problem?
[Voiceover]: Have you ever been faced with an issue where you've tried to go overseas with Aussie bum, you know, particularly to a more conservative region where you felt the need to tweak the brand or to tone it down at all, or have you been told to do that? Tell me about that experience.
Sean Ashby: I just came back from a country the other day and I'm wearing a wedding ring, but I'm not married.
[Voiceover]: What?
Sean Ashby: I'm a single. Oh, no. I'm a single guy. Girl, Jo. I'm single.
[Voiceover]: Is that just a call out to our listeners, is that.
Sean Ashby: Yeah, no, that's just simply one, I'm showing respect to another culture. Secondly, if I am questioned, I also need to protect my own well being, my own safety. If it's a person that I can see is in light or in support or just wanting to connect, then I'll talk more in an openly way where they feel welcome in the conversation. But when I'm at customs, I've never been asked my sexuality. I do get asked, what are you doing here? And I do have fun. I go, I work for a company called Aussie Bum and they go, what do you do? I go, I make underwear, I design underwear, I photograph underwear. All my photos are in underwear. The custom guy goes, I'll just go, just go. And he goes, And I go, and then guess what's in my suitcase? Underwear.
[Voiceover]: Tell me about what you're working on at the moment at Aussie Bum.
Sean Ashby: Well, I've got another brand that we started and the reason why I started. Have you ever been to New Zealand? So I flew to New Zealand and I drove from Christchurch to Queenstown in winter and it was the most epic drive I have ever had. I had to take a photo every kilometer and then I'm like, I have to come back. I love this place. And so I thought, how do I do it tax responsibly? And I thought, New Zealand Laundry Company. I'm going to create the Aussie, the New Zealand version of Aussie Bump. So I have now New Zealand Laundry Company. So that is a big deal. I'm working on that. I'm also working on a huge new range of swimwear. Swimwear has become my greatest obsession because I feel it needs a bit of a trip up, you know, enough of the emojis, enough of the fucking eggplant. I didn't even know what that meant. But you know, enough of this shit, let's get a little bit of, let's get a little bit more style going on. So I'm working on a lot of swimwear at the moment and clothing. I've become very sports active for people because I spend time, I play tennis, I spend time at the gym and I'm looking at them going, you need more choice dudes. You need to have more shapes that make you feel good while you're training because for some they don't want to train and it's like, you don't need to do that. You just need to get the right look and you're in there because you know there's more fucking food around than we care for. It's cheap, crappy food, but that's what people can afford. And that's what's so upsetting is that, you know, to eat nutritionally is expensive and for many, they don't have that privilege. So for me it's trying to make ideas where people feel good about themselves. That's really what I've come back with from China and from Europe and also from Bangladesh. I'm back off over to Europe in a couple of weeks. I cannot wait. Oh, Brussels, Belgium. You have to put Belgium on your hit list. It is mind blowing, absolute mind blowing. And I never been there and I just. Ah, incredible.
[Voiceover]: Well, wait, wait, I want to hear about this activewear. Is it an activewear range? A sports range? Tell me about that. Like.
Sean Ashby: Well, I'm currently wearing one of my active tops. But no, it literally is tennis gear. It is not walking gear. It's basically leisure lifestyle. So I'm mashing sport with lifestyle. So you can go from home to work in tracksuit pants or in pants that no one would know the difference. And also cotton, I am getting rid of cotton. I'm sick and tired of why people think cotton is good. It's bad, it's bad for the environment, it's bad for the soil. And why we keep buying it is just beyond me. But it's what everyone is used to. So it has to be done progressively. And I want to replace it with modal, with bamboo, with synthetic fibers that can be broken down naturally. And that has not come from Australia as influence. That's come from me visiting Spain that have these amazing packaging rules now where they say if this thing isn't biodegradable, you can't bring it into our country. And that's a really big step to make. And I wish Australia did that as well.
[Voiceover]: Yeah, I know how passionate you are also about local manufacturing.
Sean Ashby: Yeah. And you know what? It's an effin bitch because you've got on one side of the coin, government spruking how much they support and rah, rah, rah and all this sort of stuff. I had to go to the India website to learn about the laws in Bangladesh of exporting into that country and in Australia. Do you think I could find anything? Nothing. And then the factories are closing in Australia. Like I had four factories here, I now only have two. Two of them have retired because they're 65, 70 years old. You know, it's time they moved on. Younger people don't want to work in factories. So What I'm doing now is I'm creating a bilateral relationship. A lot of Bangladeshians travel and to relocate into Australia. They want to work, they want to learn how to sew. Same for Chinese as well. Australians, quite simply, they don't. They just want the doll check, they just want, you know, they want the business card, you know, they want the free life in which if they can get it, fantastic. But for me, I realized that for me to invest locally, which I do, and we now have a brand or products that you can buy, both Australian made and foreign made. So the person has a choice, they can go, okay, I've got to pay more because the cost of living and the wages and that, and I want that because I'll only buy Australian and I love that. But at the same time, I've got people doing it really tough. And why the hell pay $30 for a pair of underwear when really you should be paying $9, you should be paying $8, because I know how much it costs. And so then when you see all of these stupid prices being advertised, it's not the time to be doing that. When interest rates are going up, inflation's going up, people are losing their jobs, there's a time to do some things, there's another time. You've got to get in with the group and you've got to go, let's make it work for everyone. And that's how my company survived over 20 plus years is we've had our ups and our downs, but at the same time, we've always been connected to our customers. Our customers love a bargain. I'll tell you that right now. I love a bargain. And so do I. Like, come on, when's the last time you shopped and not got a bargain?
[Voiceover]: Well, Sean, thank you so much for the chat today. It's always a delight. Before I wrap it up, if our listeners want to get in touch with you, what's the best way?
Sean Ashby: Email me, email me or WhatsApp me. Even Facebook. I think it's Sean Ashby, Aussie bump.
[Voiceover]: Okay, amazing.
Sean Ashby: But yeah, I'm not, I, it's just built in me. I don't ignore a person who's made the effort to reach out if they're rude off, but if, if they're genuine and if there's something I can do, no, I'm not going to give you a million dollars off. But if there's something that they just need a simple answer to or they just need to know it's going to be okay. I'm more than happy to share that or point them in the right direction rather than have them running off into an area that they know little about. And a lot of vultures will be waiting there to take their money. And that's what's happening at the moment. You've got businesses crumbling everywhere and bank people are nice and happy. But only spend what you have. That's probably my biggest best advice. Spend only the money that you have. Now is not the time to get your seed investor who'll own 68% of your business. Because no, they're looking at the bigger picture. You know, be responsible with your decisions and if it's too good to be true, then it is. It's not true. Accept it.
[Voiceover]: On that note, Sean, thank you.
Sean Ashby: See you later.
[Voiceover]: If that's got you in the mood to strut your stuff on the beach, head over to Aussie Bum.com for a 25% discount. Just use the promo code SAVE25. That's valid till 30th of August, so don't delay now. I hope you found Sean's energy inspiring. Here are the three tips from him that stood out for me. Let rejections galvanize you. This one's easier said than done. But rather than let other people's negative energy stop you, use it to fuel your mission and prove them wrong. The Power of Emotion Sean's mini movie trailers hit his customers right in the feels and serve to strengthen the brand, not to mention sell the product. And lastly, culture is key. Understanding the culture of the country you want to sell in is at the heart of doing business. Sean's cultural awareness of allowed him to grow international sales and make Aussie Bum a global success.
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